At Condia, we’re curious about what’s on the reading lists of African tech leaders. So, we asked eight of them to share a fiction or non-fiction book that they enjoyed this year and would recommend to others.
Two respondents shared the same book, Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (former CEO of Access Bank PLC). Others named Ben Horowitz’s The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Start with Why by Simon Sinek, Future Money by Ronit Ghose, Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Quit by Annie Duke, and What Happened to you? Oprah Winfrey and Dr Bruce Perr.
Everyone understands that building anything requires some kind of resilience. However, building a business such as Flutterwave in Africa requires an insane level of fortitude. I found the practical business wisdom in this book extremely insightful and will be beneficial to anyone who is a doer.
– Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, CEO and Founder, Flutterwave
I thoroughly enjoyed Start With Why by Simon Sinek because it helped me refocus on the core purpose behind my business. The concept of starting with “why” resonated deeply, as it emphasises that people are drawn to your mission, not just your product. I highly recommend this book to entrepreneurs and leaders—it’s a powerful reminder to lead with purpose, inspire others, and align actions with your values for long-term success.
If you are looking to get your head around money, its history and some ideas on where the financial world and fintech are heading, this book is a great resource. There is a lot to learn and understand. The history covers all countries and things happening in the evolution of money and its value to digital world of fintech. It is interesting to read about different countries and continents, how money and fintech evolved with time, the progression of digital assets, and the influence of AI.
– Zach George, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Launch Africa
I’ve read this book a couple of times and it has been refreshing to read the unscripted version of events that led to building Africa’s largest bank by assets. This book primarily taught me that you can build a world-class business in a relatively short amount of time if you lay the right foundations, optimising for drive, character and values. I firmly believe we need more successful African businessmen documenting their journeys in such detail to inspire readers from similar backgrounds to achieve such levels of greatness.
– Ato Bentsi-Enchill, Investment Principal & Head of SPVs, MicroTraction
As a fintech founder, majority of your operations involving relating with banks, fintechs and other regulators. This books helped me better understand how regulators and banks think, especially how access bank went about navigating the Nigerian business terrain.
It’s also a historical book that discusses the rise and fall of various banks in Nigeria. I believe that for a fintech aiming for longevity, there’s much to learn from traditional banks. After all, there’s a reason why we have banks that have thrived for over 40 years in the country.
The book talks about how language or the way we describe something shapes our thoughts and by extension how others also understand what we’re communicating i.e the wrong/inaccurate description can be either very limiting or significantly expand thought process.
While not VC related, quite helpful in my line of work digesting the many pitches / decks we review. The metaphors we adopt influence how we frame opportunities or how others understand what we selling, helps shape how you communicate which is a big currency in this line of work — if not every line of work.
I found it insightful because it makes it clear that there are times you actually have to stop investing or spending time on something. It’s good to be persistent, but persisting on something that is not working is very inefficient. Quitting has a negative stigma, but it often is a good thing to do.
I picked up this book because I wanted to learn about trauma. Trauma is a word a lot of people use without knowing the actual meaning or the depth of its effect. Interestingly, I was trying to learn about trauma to better understand someone I loved, but as I read through I realized so much applied to me too. I think it’s an essential book for everyone!
